Meteorologists were left stunned as a US city faces its first blizzard warning in decades. Los Angeles – famed for its warm weather – has been buffeted by a brutal winter, with flooding striking California throughout January. And now the Golden State’s largest city is braced for blizzard conditions, leaving weather presenters stunned.
The National Weather Service issued a Blizzard Warning for Ventura and Los Angeles over the start of the weekend from Friday 4am to Saturday 4pm.
In a shock reveal, The Los Angeles NWS office said they have not issued such a warning since February 4, 1989.
They added snow accumulations up to five feet and wind gusts in excess of 55mph are expected.
Los Angeles’s first blizzard alert in 33 years led to some weather presenters being left at a loss for words.
“I have to be totally honest with you guys,” Evelyn Taft of station KCAL said on camera, “I’ve actually never seen a blizzard warning.”
“Your eyes are not deceiving you,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin.
“All the way down in Southern California, that orange box is a blizzard warning that’s in effect for Friday morning until 4pm on Saturday afternoon.”
“Never thought that my move to LA would involve storm coverage…with snow,” KCAL anchor Sheba Turk said on Twitter.
She shared a video of herself in Lebec, 50 miles north of LA, as big flakes of snow landed on her jacket.
“Look at this,” she said in the clip. “You see the flurries? I had to stop and get gloves.
As Thursday begins in southern California, snow has already arrived with a brief lull overnight.
Forecasters in LA described the storm affecting that region as cold and dangerous, predictng up to seven feet in areas more than 6,000 feet above sea level.
Lesser amounts, between one and four inches, were expected in elevations of less than 2,500 feet.
Areas along the coast and valleys could see a few inches of rain.
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